Electrode-shielding device.



D. E. CARPENTER, ELECTRODE SHIELDING DEVICE;

' APPLICATION FILED JULY 6.1915.

Patented Apr. 30,1918.

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' m1 mmmm;mzzwmaam 4W INVENTOR WHTNE$SES ATTORNEY HOUSE ELECTRIC AND MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF SYLVIA.

PENN- ELECTBODlE-SHIJELDING DEVICE.

rename.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 6, 1915. Serial No. 38,117.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID ECARPENTER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Wilkinsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Electrpde- Shielding Devices, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to shielding devices to be'employed in converters of the vaporarc type, and it has for an object to provide means for controlling the temperature and pressure ofthe shield and of the shielded space and also to provide means for adjusting the Volta ge'drop within the rectifier.

The single figure of the accompanying drawing is a side view, partially in section,

of a vapor converter illustrating the pre-- ferred form of my invention.

In the operation of converters of the vapor-arc type, it is frequently essential that shielding devices be employed for the proper control of the power. are and it is desirable that such shielding devices be formed of metal in order that an electric charge maybe imparted thereto for the electrostatic control of the arc field. The temperatures attained in operation are occasionally so high that metallic shielding members suffer such burning and disintegration as to cause an early failure and the liberation of occluded gases.

I have found that the above-mentioned defects may be remedied in a simple and efiective manner by providing a hollow metallic shielding member and circulating a temperature-regulating medium therethrough. When a shielding member of this character is applied to an anode, for example, not only is the shield itself effectively prevented from disintegration but the temperature of the anode itself and the pressure of the medium surrounding the same may be controlled. Furthermore, find that, by regulating the temperature of an anode shield, a

profound'influence may be exerted upon the voltage drop within the rectifier, resulting in convenient voltage regulation and renderin I the attainment of high efficiency possible.

he preferred form of my invention comprises a coil of closely wrapped metal tubing surrounding the member to be shielded, both ends of said tubing being connected to a suitable external circulating system, whereby a temperature-controlling medium may be passed through said tubing.

Referring to the accompanying drawing for a more detailed understanding of my invention, I have shown an exhausted container 1, preferably of the metallic type and provided with anodes 2 and 3 and with a cathode 4:. The anode 2 is insulated from the cover of the container 1 by suitable means 5 and is surrounded within the container by a composite shielding member composed of a sheet-metal collar 6 and a closely wound coil 7 of metallic tubing. The coil 7 is contracted at the lower end thereof, as shown at 8, and is drawn apart, as shown at 9, to provide a path of egress for the power are. The pipe at the two ends of the coil 7 is extended outwardly through a suitable sealing and insulating joint 10, in many respects similar to the joint illustrated and claimed in a copending application of Frank Conrad, filed May 11, 1904:, Serial No. 837 ,720, and assigned to the Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company, and terminates at 11 and 12. In a similar manner, the anode 3 is provided with a composite shield embodying a collar 13 and a coil 11 terminating in tubes 15 and 16.

Having thus described the structure of my rectifier, the operation is as follows: An arc is initiated and maintained between the anodes 2 and 3 and'the cathode 4 by any suitable means, such, for example, as a keep-alive circuit 17 and a temperatureregulating medium, such, for example. as water, is caused to flow through the coil 7 via the tubes 11 and 12 and through the coil 14 via the tubes 15 and 16. The coils 7 and 14 are therefore maintained at such temperature that they do not disintegrate and,1u addition tothe usual shielding function of preventing arcing between the anodes 2 and 3, they control the temperature and vapor Patented Apr. 30*, 1191.

Serial No. 819,691, filed Feb. 19, 1914, and assigned to the Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company.

A- very advantageous feature of my device is that it may be ormed of seamless tubing which is capable of maintaining an extremely high vacuum. No leaks are therefore imported into the container structure,

such as would be encountered by the use of other possible types of hollow anode-shield ing members.

My invention is capable of many modifications and additions in that the shields 7 and 14 may, for example, be connected together for relative electro-static control or they may be maintained at any desired independent potentials as found necessary as, for example, by means of potential sources 17 and 18 connected to the container wall. Furthermore, the relative temperatures of each anode and its associated shield may be maintained at substantially equal amounts b passing the same stream of cooling fluid t rough each. I desire, therefore, that only such restrictions shall be placed upon my invention as are imposed by the prior art or are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with a vapor converter including an anode, of a hollow shielding member surrounding said anode, and means for circulatin a temperatureregulatin medium throng the interior of said shie ding member.

2. In a vapor converter, the combination with an electrode, of a shielding member surrounding said electrode and comprising a coil of pipe, the neighboring convolutions of which are so closely uxtaposed as to substantially prevent the flow of an arc therebetween.

reeaavo 3. In a vapor converter, the combination with an electrode, of a shielding member surrounding said electrode and comprising a coil of pipe, the convolutions of which are closely juxtaposed except at the point where the are fiow is desired.

4. In a vapor converter, the combination with an electrode, of a shielding member surrounding said electrode and comprising a coil of pipe, the neighboring convolutions of which are so closely uxtaposed as to substantially prevent the flow of an arc therebetween, and means for circulating a th rou gh verter including a plurality of anodes, of

a hollow shielding member surrounding each of said anodes, means for circulating a heat-regulating medium through each of said shielding members, and means for regulating the relative potential of each of said shielding members.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 28th day of June DAVID E. CARPENTER. Witnesses:

F. L. MELLENCAMP, H. J. KNIGHT. 

